Why do we keep having to reeducate people about what Change Management is, and is not?
I'm keen to know where the message/marketing started saying that Change Management is just Comms and/or Training.
This seems to have gotten some serious legs out there in the world and has some people thinking they don't need a Change Manager (or similar qualified person) because they can send out some emails and run the training and that's all the Change Management we need.
Don't get me wrong, this is sometimes all that is needed for a project but please don't call it Change Management!
Comms and Training are aspects of what happens after the Change Managers have done their thing. I also want to state at this point that Comms Specialists and Training Leads (or any other roles in these fields) deserve respect for these areas as well.
To disregard all these specialties and think anyone can just suddenly 'DO' change management is a mistake.
If you are someone that finds yourself in this situation (no CM, Comms or Training quals) and not sure what to do, then go back to the managers/leaders that are asking you to do the role and find out what they expect. If they are looking for REAL change management then push back and let them know that you don't have the quals to do the role (and project) any justice. They are putting the responsibility on you to ensure the project/program succeeds and they have no right to do that. If they are serious about success then get the right people involved.
This is no different for any Change folk out there that do not have the Comms or Training quals/experience. For projects/programs to succeed you need the right people to do the job. If you don't think you have the budget for any of these roles, then don't expect magic to suddenly happen when you Go Live, or when you restructure, or when you are throwing large amounts of money at something thinking the world is going to change.
Below is a diagram/chart/overlay showing the stages of a project overlayed with Change Management. This is the Platinum deal with all the bells and whistles and would be expected on large programs. What you will see is the number of different elements that make up CM.
The pale yellow areas are the Comms and Training elements but are not necessarily delivered by the Change Lead/Manager/Consultant.
NOTE: This is just one perspective of many possibilities so do not take this as the one and only gospel out there to be followed!
Keen to get any feedback on re-education processes that have worked in businesses and also how you changed perceptions when deep into a project.
Hi Andrew, I can absolutely second this. During my 3+ years in internal Change Management, the one big misconception always is that Change Management is about Communication and Training. I cannot even count the times I tried to explain to the executives, how much more it takes to call it Change Management. Your chart is spot on. Guess we will keep having these conversations for a while longer. Maybe having a clear definition of the job as Change Manager would help with that. ;)